Ingredients

• 1 pound gumbo crabs without the legs, rinsed well and quartered
• 1 1/4 pounds andouille or other spicy sausage, sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups chopped yellow onions
• 1 cup chopped green bell peppers
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 pound small okra, stem ends trimmed and sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup lager beer
• 10 cups shrimp or fish stock
• 1 teaspoon liquid crab boil
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup cooled Light Brown Roux, See How To Roux, recipe follows
• 2 pounds medium (26 to 30 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 teaspoon Essence, recipe follows
• 1 pint oysters, with their liquor
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• Steamed White Rice, for serving
• Chopped Green Onion Tops, for serving

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, published by William and Morrow, 1993.

How to Roux:

3 cups vegetable oil

5 cups all-purpose flour

Place a heavy, iron Dutch oven, (or iron skillet with deep sides) over medium heat and heat the oil until just smoking. Whisk in flour, a little at a time and cook, whisking constantly, until roux becomes smooth and thick. Continue to cook, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon and reaching all over bottom of pan, until roux darkens to desired color. Be careful not to produce specs of black. The roux must remain an even color throughout process. If specs appear you must start over.

For a Light Brown Roux, cook the mixture, over medium heat for 1 1/2 hours, or until the color of peanut butter. Remove about 1 cup of the light colored roux, cool completely, and set aside for the Delmonico's Seafood Okra Gumbo.

For a Medium Brown Roux, cook the mixture, over medium heat for an additional 30 minutes, or until the color of a copper penny when ready. Remove about 13/4 cups of the medium colored roux, cool completely, and set aside for Emeril's Country File Gumbo.

For a Dark Brown Roux, cook the mixture an additional 35 to 45 minutes. The color should resemble dark chocolate when ready. Remove all of the remaining dark roux from the pan and cool completely. Set aside for the Chicken and Sausage Gumbo.

Yield: about 4 1/2 cups roux

NOTE: The timings for various shades of roux will vary depending on the cooktop as well as the amount of roux made. (A smaller amount will cook in much less time.) If this is your first time making a roux, the slower you cook it, the less likely you will be to burn it. The important thing is to cook the roux to the desired color, as specified above.